Blog

Hi everyone, as we start to roll into June I’m wrapping up all the work that went into getting my painting show done and ready to hang at Laura Russo. A big thank you to all my clients and co-workers who have been very patient with me over the winter and spring. Everybody who has been waiting on drawings, etc. can expect to finally see things done in the next couple weeks. I’m resuming a normal work schedule at Lombard Street Tattoo 8937 N Lombard St. 97203 503-803-8210, tattooing Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and every other Saturday from here on out. I’m also looking to add a walk-in day a couple of times a month and I’ll keep you posted on that. I have a few designs left from the flash sheet I made back in October that I haven’t tattooed yet that I’ll do for half my hourly just to get them out there. Thanks for looking and please come and check out my show if you’re in the area. It opens Thursday June 4th from 5-8pm, and hangs until June 30th at Laura Russo Gallery 805 NW 21st Ave.

Most of my friends and tattoo clients know that at this point I’m moving on from Atomic Art Tattoo in Portland OR where I’ve spent the last 10 years working with great friends and colleagues London Bellman and Jason Bradbury. I can’t say enough regarding how much I learned there, how much fun we all had, and how much of a great person London was to work for. I will miss them dearly.

At the beginning of October I’m going to work at Lombard Street Tattoo Parlour in beautiful St. Johns. The shop is brand new and yet to open. It’s the brainchild of Seth Ciferri and Ellen Murphy; I’ll be rejoining forces with my co-worker and good friend Joanne Slorach also from Atomic, as some of you will know. There will be a couple more artists added to the mix that are yet unnamed. LST is a legit street shop in the real traditional sense, that’ll carry a custom side that Joanne and I are going to carry. There will be world-class guest artists working from around the globe, and I know that it won’t take long for everything to kick into gear; we’re all salivating to get going.

At this point there are quite a few logistical questions I’m not sure about but I should address. If you had a gift certificate specifically for me from Atomic I will be able to honor and transfer that over to the new place. LST will be open (gasp) seven days a week 11-8 week days and Sat-Sun 12-10. The shop # is 503-803-8210, the easiest way to reach me is my cell at 503-975-1433. There will be a counter person on hand but Joanne and I are still doing our booking directly, so my cell is best. I don’t know what my days will be at this point, but I’ll probably keep my tattooing to 4 days a week with plenty of flexibility to work any day I need to. My new station will offer more privacy when needed and more elbowroom too. On my end I’m trying to put together a new website courtesy of Isolary with Mickey Deagle, new cards, Flash I’ll be offering, and shirts. At the end I’m hoping to expand my connections with the tattoo community, learn more, actually do some conventions and eventually travel out of the states to work occasionally.

Well, I can see the way this blog thing is headed and so be it. I have to update it some point. Many things have come to pass since I last added anything to the site so I’ll do a quick update here. In September I tore down my old garage and built a new painting/art studio I like to call Fort Hardy. Many thanks are owed for all the help and inspiration that went into all that work. Thank you all, you know who you are, and I expect you all to collect on your debts whenever you see fit. During that time when I was pounding my thumbs to a pulp with a hammer, London Bellman was remodeling the shop at Atomic. The results are amazing. It’s still us only brand new and way sparkly, even though we are more gray and grizzled. If I have tattooed you a bunch in the past, you are in for a surprise next time around. My old station was a little divided from the main area. I’m now in the middle of all the fun, so bring proper coverings if you have to strip down, and your quick wits as you’ll be in the middle of the fray depending on what day of the week it is. We don’t have any of our old special cut out shirts and leggings available any more. It’s a much more “public” experience. That said, I’m so happy with the whole thing, I’m going to be grinning from ear to ear for another year.

After all that, I settled back in and chipped away during the fall on work for another solo exhibition at The Laura Russo Gallery for April 2013. I had previously stated that my paintings might change dramatically for my next show. That has not come to fruition yet. I’ve spent so many frustrating days try to get there, and its going to have to take a back seat, as I’m not completely comfortable with those changes. It will come along. This time I’ll continue to build on my foundations again and push onward into whatever those ghost spirits that move my hands demand. At this point it feels really good to be back in the realm of materials I’m comfortable with.

The winters in Oregon are so dark and rainy, yet somehow I find this quite comfortable right now. I won’t be missing much as I work my tail off to get these new paintings up on the wall for the next few months. “Pressure makes diamonds” my old painting cohort Samuel Rowlett used to say in regards to putting a show together along with “less talking, more sighing” something an old instructor of mine said. So it goes.

I’m going to be tattooing more limited days for the next couple of months, way off from my normal schedule. It’s very erratic at this point, so you’ll want to call me or message me for openings in my book. As always, I very much appreciate your business, patience, and understanding. Goodbye for awhile world, we’ll reconvene soon.